I am part of our collection development committee and am charged with purchasing adult fiction, movies and music for the main library. Of late, I have been sharing the fiction duties with a coworker because it really is a lot for one person to handle lately. However....this coworker has been fortunate enough to find a new job that pays her lots more and actually gives her the title she should have (she does all of Stonecold's duties in addition to her own) with the added attraction of not having to work with Stonecold anymore.

Today I received an email with an attachment that read "list of selectors"...and that was when I discovered that I have been removed completely from the selection of adult fiction. I do not know whose decision this was, I don't think it was my departing coworker.

Now, I really don't mind losing this task right now as I am drowning under special orders for patrons , in addition to other jobs I've had to pick up with several recent staff departures (and yes, I am working on my own, this time round). But with one exception, the entire collection development committee sits a big three feet away from me. One of them couldn't have said "Lily, we hope this won't upset you, but with Coworker leaving, we have to split her duties up and we've decided to give all of fiction selection to the same person who orders for the branches." I probably would have said "Thank God!"

I really don't think there's much I can do except act as if I know all this (I did send an email asking for clarification and received...nothing) and try to ignore the way it was done. I have a pretty good idea who is responsible for the decision and I don't want to go head to head with her (in the words of Sancho Panza "It doesn't matter if the pitcher hits the wall or the wall hits the pitcher; it's going to be very bad for the pitcher.")

Any advise for being relieved of duties by people who hope you won't notice?

Yarnie, Just go on like this " I really don't think there's much I can do except act as if I know all this" . It could be (not likely) that member3 of the committee think that member one told you, while member one think member 2 told you, etc. Bummer on finding out like this.

Is it possible it is a mistake?Either way, i hope it was not deliberate. Your library sounds a bit disorganized. Possibly everyone thought someone else had talked to you about it? Still not optimum, but better than deliberately leaving you in the cold.

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Yes, yes I have been relieved of duty for something without actually being told so. You were luckier than I was, I brought it up in a meeting, saying "I'm not quite sure what my new role is in X." Only to be met with horrified, disbelieving stares that I hadn't intuited that they didn't want me in that role anymore (that was the one task I still enjoyed and was good at at that point). Apparently everyone else in the room already knew and hadn't bothered to say anything.

Former Horrible Boss THEN followed up with an email informing me that I had been relieved of that duty and "I thought we were all on the same page on this."

Well, no, you just said my former underling was going to be taking on more responsibility in that area, not that she was replacing me completely.

So, yeah, I totally feel your pain. I am SOOOO glad I'm out of that job!

With all the things that are wrong with your job that have a negative impact on you, I would let this one roll off my back. In a less toxic workplace I would probably say something, but in yours, there probably isn't much point.

Oh, I feel your pain.... I was told, after three years stage managing my high school's musicals, that my senior year, the one I was really looking forward to, I wouldn't be doing because they wanted to 'share the work around' - and I was told by the director 'forgetting' to tell me what day the auditions would be, so I could be there.

Cowardice, it usually works out, is the reason for the behavior. Sheer cowardice.

Here's hoping it all is for the best... and that the sting of the way you found out passes soon.

Update....I talked with the person (who isn't exactly in the building) who will now be doing all the fiction and her response was that she only found out in the email, too...as did another coworker who will be purchasing audio books. Audiobook girl turned to Lucky Leaving Coworker and said "You guys were going to to tell me when?"

I was right about the person who made the decision. We all adore her for many reasons but her reputation for just going ahead and doing things is legendary and we have all decided to suck it up and move on. As Fiction Lady said "Dear Heavens! Do you suppose Stonecold is rubbing off on her???"

Side note : You wanted Scary Stuff? We got Scary Stuff! Lucky Leaving Coworker is the one who pays the bills, saw to it that Stonecold signed checks (Stoney claims she doesn't think it's important to pay bills and doesn't care if they don't get paid), rearranged heaven and earth to accomodate illnesses, family leave, made sure everyone knew what was going on and kept us informed as to what was happening. Essentially, she held us together with duct tape and library paste....she was our strong center core. And her advice to the people on her management level was "DON'T try to fill in those duties. There's not enough people to go around to do all this. DON'T take over my administrative duties. LET the bills go unpaid. Maybe, when you're sitting in the dark, with no money to pay for the phones or the garbage pickup, the library board will finally get a clue."

Which is exactly what they plan to do. Stonecold is still in denial that Lucky is leaving, even to the point of telling another coworker that this is ridiculous "Lucky isn't resigning. I haven't heard a word" two days after Lucky handed Stonecold her resignation IN PERSON and spoke the words "This is my resignation" to her.

Happily, we all get paid because the clerical assistant and the comptroller work together very well and will make sure our checks come through....but we are on the brink of disaster as Stoney absolutely refuses to dirty her hands with checks. (Lucky even came up with a system whereby all Stoney had to do was click a couple of buttons and use a stamp to get the checks done and Stoney even refuses to do THAT.)

Get some popcorn, I may have better stories to tell about the next few months as the rest of us prepare to abandon ship. (That's right, we are all seeking new jobs now so we can retire from this one...hopefully before ouir contracts run out next year.)

I see the Board as like an alcohol/drug addict. Lucky was the enabling spouse keeping Life together. As anyone in AA will tell you, some people have to hit rock-bottom before they realize they have a problem.

I agree - great news! It took that for a former employer to get their stuff together - and it happens more than we know in a lot of places. Hopefully the first time the electric company comes and turns off the power they will all get it figured out!

Yikes. I wonder of Stoney's aversion to signing checks has a sinister motivation. When the stuff inevitably hits the fan, she can claim "I never approved those payments, expenditures, etc. My underlings took it on themselves to do that and kept me in the dark. I think they all should be fired." In an environment like that I'd be keeping a very detailed documentation trail -- off site if at all possible.

But then, I'm just a tad paranoid.

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Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. -Mark Twain